Burton Taylor, 1st-5th June, 7.30pm
Verdict: Thought-provoker
Inspired by politically minded author-director Radha Bharadwaj’s cult debut film, Closet Land makes for a disconcerting and challenging theatre experience. Commissioned in the early nineties by Amnesty International, the piece tackles political ideology, corrupt interrogation procedure, torture and sexual abuse.
As heavily laden with uncomfortable themes as it is, such a script would pose a challenge to any actor: Adam Scott Taylor and Olivia Charlton-Jones, directed by Matthew Perkins, rise to the occasion in this psychologically intense two-hander. He, the interrogator, and She, the prisoner, a
re alone onstage for the entirety of the play, locked in a bleak, nameless chamber.
The charge? Sedition. A children’s author has written the titular Closet Land, believed to be an allegorical attack on the state.
The disorienting claustrophobia suffered by the blindfolded Author is brought to life through the production’s sparse, dark design and simple black and white costume. The Author’s experience is personalised by original artwork by Vanessa Carr projected onstage, making explicit the possible dual interpretation of Closet Land as both universal parable, and individual study of the Author and Interrogator’s relationship. Josh Lowe’s minimalist score adds menacing depth to scenes of particular dramatic climax.
Adam Scott Taylor displays an impressive capacity for physicality in his assumption of a broad spectrum of threatening split-personalities; switching from the mindless smile of an implacable bureaucrat to the violent tics of a deranged ideological fanatic as he browbeats, psychologically torments, and eventually physically tortures his ward.
Olivia Charlton-Jones’ performance is equally accomplished in its multiplicity, combining gracefully the Author’s composed, dignified facade with an occasional glimpse of the fear, pain and self-doubt evidently bubbling below the surface.
Ever provocative and at times distressing, Closet Land is an emotionally draining, yet thoroughly watchable production. Not for the faint hearted.
